Stories
Fiction & Micro-FictionClanks at Midnight
The place smelled like shit and piss. “I thought these things didn’t have bodily excretions,” I called out to my partner. “They’re not supposed to,” she replied. “For some reason this one does. Someone’s been hard at work making a clank that can process food the way...
Meat-Eater
In hindsight, Trista realized she probably shouldn’t have fallen asleep under that tree. - Pus dripped into Trista’s eyes from the multiple infected sores on her scalp. She wanted to wipe it away, but the tree held her fast, pinning her arms to her sides, arms she...
Skin Deep
He works quickly, his deft hands flitting over the instruments with a skill that comes from a vast history of experience. He talks while he works. “You are my failure,” he says. “I blame only myself.” He sets one tool down on the tray, picking up the next. “I raised...
Magic In Unexpected Places
Claire found the hat half under a bush, half out. It was the sort of hat one might wear while working in the garden — woven straw and wide-brimmed. Claire turned the hat in her hands. The top had been torn out, leaving ragged edges and a large hole. She flipped the...
Attacked
He helped her up from the floor. She was bruised, bloody, and shaken. Whatever had happened here, it had been violent and traumatic. The room was a study in chaos. “You alright?” he asked. No response. Her gaze was distant, focused on something far from here. He tried...
Flight
Lightning flashed, and the boys ran, pumping their legs as hard as they could. “Did you see that?” the first cried. “No, and neither did you! Keep running!” “I can’t,” came the reply. “I’ve got to stop for a sec.” They dropped behind a fallen log and sucked air in...
Market of the Macabre
He drifted through the cacophony with certain inevitability. Barkers called out their wares along the way. “Seed of life, extracted via rectal cavity!” “Fetal tissue from forced abortion!” “Skullcap of a suicided dwarf!” “Broken heart! Freshly broken!” On and on the...
Cursed
The Callous Demon peered down at Leohand from its perch atop the door. Leohand glared at the leathery creature. “Ah, I see you’ve met Domedra,” Tarvin said, coming back into the room. “She’s harmless enough, but few of my customers care for her presence. Cuts down on...
Creeping Up the Back Stairs
The party upstairs was in full swing, the bump-bump-bump of the music audible even from outside. In the darkness on the back stairs, a shadow moved. The form had almost no shape; it moved like liquid. It climbed each step with meticulous care, coalescing itself before...